Di Maggio/Mantle/Marilyn Monroe Ball to be Sold

A baseball autographed by Joe Di Maggio, Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mantle and 25 other early 1950s New York Yankees has been consigned and is headed for a major auction this spring.

Last spring, Heritage Galleries sold a baseball bearing the autographs of Joe DiMaggio and his short-term wife, Marilyn Monroe for $191,000. The resulting publicity sent a flood of purported Monroe/DiMaggio balls to the Dallas-based company’s offices. Most were forgeries, but one stood out.

It’s a ball signed by not just the two lovebirds, but slugger Mickey Mantle and 25 other members of the 1952 Yankees.

It’s a piece of DiMaggio’s storied life but also part of the history of Mickey Mantle. Heritage believes the ball was signed during spring training, when Mantle was a young star and DiMaggio’s career was at an end. The company will feature the ball in it’s May 5 auction.

“While we don’t expect this baseball to overtake the record-setting Joe and Marilyn ball, an argument could be made that the addition of Mantle makes it an even more desirable collectible,” explained Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Memorabilia Auctions for Heritage Auction Galleries. “After all, you’re talking about three of the most iconic figures of the era here.”

Joining the trio of historic autographs are those of the rest of the New York Yankees team, with Hall of Famers like Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and Johnny Mize among the signers.

The autographed baseball carries authentication from PSA/DNA and has been listed with a pre-auction estimate of $15,000 to $20,000.

Related Stories:

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for more than 30 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected].